Joe Cole – footballnewscrazy

Barclays Premier League- Aston Villa vs West Ham United- 10th February 2013

Nathan Baker and Joey O'Brien battle it out in the nervy game. — Nathan Baker and Joey O’Brien battle it out in the nervy game.

Charles N’Zogbia scored a thunderbolt of a free-kick as Aston Villa kick-started their survival campaign with a 2-1 win over West Ham United at a very wet Villa Park.

N’Zogbia also won the penalty that Christian Benteke calmly scored to put Villa ahead after 73 minutes, before an Ashley Westwood own goal cut the deficit. Their first win in nine games moved Villa out of the bottom three, and ended their run of four straight defeats.

It was the home side that started the strongest and they should have been in front inside two minutes. Benteke managed to turn and get a shot off and Jussi Jaaskelainen palmed the weak effort away but only to the feet of Andi Weimann, who somehow side-footed the ball wide of the open goal. It was a stunning miss, and quite possibly the worst miss of the season,

Christian Benteke celebrates his penalty goal.

The first half slowly went by with Andy Carroll lobbing a volley over the Villa bar, while Nathan Baker was showing passion when hurtling into challenges, despite having a head wound after a clash with James Tomkins.

Carroll would also have a weak header easily saved by Brad Guzan, before Ciaran Clark stopped Guy Demel’s fizzing cross from finding Joe Cole, who would have certainly scored.

Ron Vlaar would have two chances in two minutes when he sliced a free-kick well wide, before getting up for a corner and volleying down, off the ground and over. Carroll would wildly waste an opportunity from 20 yards when shooting wide, as a dreary first-half came to a close.

N'Zogbia's free-kick lit up a poor game. — N’Zogbia’s free-kick lit up a poor game.

In the second half, West Ham looked brighter. Tomkins was unlucky to see his goal-bound volley blocked by Vlaar, while Clark stopped another certain goal when he stopped Mohammed Diame’s cross falling to Tomkins three yards.

Villa would have a chance of their own when N’Zogbia dropped his shoulder and fired off a left-footed shot that flew inches wide of the post. At the other end, West Ham were desperately unlucky not to be in front when Carroll volleyed towards goal, only to see Darren Bent clear off the line for Villa.

Nolan flicked a header wide, before the game changed from a refereeing decision. N’Zogbia wriggled past Mark Noble’s challenge and went down after contact. Mark Clattenburg awarded the penalty, and Benteke stepped up and showed no nerves as he slotted the ball past the goalkeeper to the delight of Paul Lambert.

Another angle from Villa's fabulous second goal. — Another angle from Villa’s fabulous second goal.

Four minutes after and Villa were 2-0 up. Tomkins brought down Bent on the edge of the box and the former Newcastle United and Wigan Athletic man N’Zogbia curled the ball over the wall and into the top corner. His first goal of the season was a piece of magic in a game that lacked quality.

Westwood unintentionally set up a tense finale when he headed the ball past Guzan from a Joe Cole cross.

Then in injury-time Guzan blocked a shot from Nolan and turned aside a Carlton Cole header as Villa survived by the skin of their teeth.